Next time you order fast food, consider what women face behind the counter

Forty percent of women working in the fast-food industry have
been sexually harassed at work.

That's according to a
recent survey by Hart Research, which conducted an online
survey this summer of more than 1,200 working in nonmanagerial
fast-food jobs in the US. The most common forms of harassment
were sexual teasing, jokes, remarks, or questions; hugging
or touching; and questions about sexual interests or unwanted
information about others' sexual interests.

"Nearly every day, my shift manager would rub himself against me
or try to grab my backside when he passed me," Monae wrote in The
Huffington Post. "He would compliment my body and say he wanted
to 'do things' to me."

Monae said that she reported the harassment to McDonald's
corporate after her manager "came up from behind and put a
cellphone photo of his genitals in front of me" but that nothing
happened.

McDonald's spokeswoman Terri Hickey told Business Insider the
company was reviewing the harassment allegations.

"At McDonald’s, we and our independent owner-operators share a
deep commitment to the respectful treatment of everyone," Hickey
said. "There is no place for harassment and discrimination of any
kind in McDonald’s restaurants or in any workplace. We take any
concerns seriously and are reviewing the allegations."

The Hart Research survey found that nearly half of those
reporting sexual harassment also reported health problems like
stress, anxiety, and depression as a result. Only 40% of those
who said they had been harassed reported an incident to their
employer.

Sexual harassment has become a hot-button political issue of
late, especially after last week's
discovery of a 2005 recording of Republican presidential
nominee Donald Trump boasting about being able to kiss and grope
women.

Since the publication of the tape, Trump has repeatedly said the
comments were "locker-room banter."